Regardless of the fact that it’s nigh impossible and that
much of the hysteria behind it is due to one high-profile
(controlled) instance, car hacking is now officially a thing.

In light of this, automakers are binding together to combat
future occurrences, and the countermeasures could be coming as
early as this year.

Ever since the widely reported remote
takeover of a Jeep Cherokee by cybersecurity researchers
Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller, people have been wondering what
steps car manufacturers would take to ensure customer safety.

According to a report in Automotive
News, companies are working to set up an “Information Sharing
and Analysis Center” to act as a line of defense against car
hacking attempts.

If this sounds like a room with an array of software
engineers dramatically counter-hacking incursion attempts as they
happen, prepare to be slightly underwhelmed. The true function of
the center would be for automobile manufacturers to share data
regarding vulnerabilities in vehicle software and communication
networks. They would also work together in developing defense
systems for future vehicles.

We’re speculating, but plugging security holes in software
often takes a lot of practice breaking in and finding them in the
first place — the very thing Valasek and Miller were doing. All
major car manufacturers will participate in this endeavor, with
telecom companies expected to join in sometime in the
future.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated in a
report last year that attacking a car via its cellular data
connection is one of 11 types of potential attacks facing modern
vehicles. This was done as part of a proposal that would direct
the Federal Trade Commission and NHTSA to set minimum
cybersecurity rules after research found the car industry’s own
measures “inconsistent.”

Having shown that it could be done, and generating a substantial
public reaction, Valasek and Miller may have achieved what they
set out to do — make automakers take cybersecurity seriously.